Southern California is packed with film festivals — but few are as exciting as one where audiences can witness young filmmakers discovering their voices in real time.

Students from across the Long Beach Unified School District will have the chance to see their creative discoveries projected onto the big screen when the Museum of Latin American Art hosts its second annual “One Frame at a Time Student Film Festival” on Sunday, May 31.

Presented by MOLAA’s Department of Education. in partnership with LBUSD’s Office of Pathways and Business Engagement, the festival invites high school students in grades nine to 12 to submit original short films exploring this year’s theme — “Escape.”

The event will take place in person at MOLAA’s Viva Event Center, 628 Alamitos Ave.

Students created and submitted films between two and three minutes long in one of four categories: animation, drama, comedy/satire and documentary/broadcast. Organizers encouraged participants to push beyond traditional approaches, whether through unconventional storytelling, bold visual techniques, inventive editing or experimental production design.

Rather than focusing solely on polished technical execution, the festival emphasizes originality and artistic risk-taking.

Submissions exploring themes connected to art, education or social equity are especially encouraged, alongside a required artist or group statement explaining the creative vision behind each project.

In addition to category awards, the festival will once again present its “Balboa Award,” honoring the top silent film submission. That award pays tribute to MOLAA’s historic location, once home to the famed Balboa Amusement Producing Company during the silent film era.

Finalists and winners will be selected by a panel of judges from the Hollywood film industry and Long Beach cultural organizations, with projects evaluated on storytelling, creativity, technical achievement, and educational or artistic impact.

“One Frame at a Time,” with its blend of student creativity, cinematic experimentation and community engagement, continues to grow as a platform for emerging young filmmakers in the city.

To RSVP for a panel discussion with industry experts and a film screening starting at 1 p.m., go to molaa.org/molaa-student-film-festival.

Journey cover band

Cover band DSB — short for ”Don’t Stop Believin’” — will celebrate the catalog of classic band Journey on Saturday, May 30, at Gaslamp Long Beach, 6251 E. Pacific Coast Highway, during a night devoted to one of rock’s surprisingly enduring acts.

Why a surprise? Because for most rock bands, losing a legendary front man would mark the end of an era. For Journey, though, it became part of their story.

Ever since Steve Perry left Journey in the late 1990s, the band has continued touring with a succession of vocalists chosen largely because they could channel the unmistakable soaring sound of the former front man.

With longtime guitarist Neal Schon still leading the group, the modern version of Journey already exists somewhere between legacy act and living tribute to its own classic era.

That’s part of what makes DSB such a fitting tribute act: the band doesn’t shy away from leaning fully into recreating the arena-rock energy, polished musicianship and Perry-style vocals that made songs like “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” “Faithfully” and “Wheel in the Sky” staples of classic rock radio.

DSB is unapologetic about giving us an experience of ’70s and ’80s rock — re-creating the sound, look and emotional sweep of Journey’s heyday.

For audiences who grew up with these songs — or younger listeners discovering Journey for the first time — the concert offers a chance to savor the oversized hooks and emotional power that made Journey one of the defining rock bands of their era.

Their opening act, meanwhile, is also a tribute to another legendary band from the very best era of rock music: Candy-O, paying homage to The Cars.

The music will begins at 8 p.m., with the doors opening at 6 pm. For tickets or more information, go to gaslamplongbeach.com.

New Works Festival

On the heels of its May kickoff, the Long Beach Shakespeare Company’s expanded New Works Festival will return in June with another slate of original productions, continuing the company’s push to spotlight emerging playwrights and adventurous storytelling.

Next month’s installment, which will take place June 6-7 at the Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 Atlantic Ave., will feature a mix of dark comedy, existential drama, social commentary and absurdist mystery across three distinct programs.

Leading the weekend will be a double-feature presentation of “Life and Death in Cowboy Country” by Andrew Tyrell-Smith and “The Deed” by Jessica Wienecke.

The pairing explores death and mortality from different angles, as the former production follows a bounty hunter and the man he has just shot, while the latter centers around two strangers — one longing to die, the other eager to kill — whose uneasy arrangement spirals into something far more complicated.

Together, the two short works balance bleak humor with moments of tender humanity. Performances will take place at 2 p.m. June 6 and 8 p.m. June 7.

Also featured in June will be “Reflections in a D’Back’s Eye” by Deanne Stillman. This is an experimental and politically charged work that blends mythology, imagined conversations and real-world tragedy to examine gun violence in America. Inspired in part by the 2011 mass shooting that wounded former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona, and killed a young baseball-loving child, the production wrestles with an essential question: How does violence become normalized?

Performances are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. June 6 and 4 p.m. June 7.

Rounding out the weekend will be Christopher Bucca Taylor’s “Department – Ep. 2: Anchor Store,” a quirky continuation of a comedic saga set inside the fictional Zavier’s Department Store.

The story follows Chancy, who is unexpectedly promoted to “Department Store Detective” — and is tasked with uncovering who might be plotting to assassinate the company’s CEO.

The play combines workplace satire with noir-style mystery. The production leans into eccentric humor and serialized storytelling. Performances will take place at 8 p.m. June 6 and 1 p.m. June 7.

From philosophical westerns to experimental political theater to offbeat retail comedy — it’s a fun lineup for the start of summer.

For tickets, go to lbshakespeare.org/events.